School: Mairnéulaigh
- Location:
- Inishcrone, Co. Sligo
- Teacher: Ann, Bean Uí Blachnaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0164, Page 293
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- XML “Old Crafts”
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- Old Crafts.Long ago the people of this locality were noted for their many crafts.They used to make their own candles. First they got some fat from the sheep and boiled it. Then they got some rushes. They dipped the rushes into the fat one by one about a dozen times. Each time the fat stuck on the rush, till the candle was thick enough.They made soap too. They made it out of tallow and wood ashes.They made their ink out of “fairy caps” or poisonous fungi.They made dye out of poisonous fungi, too. They used to make dye out of the Porpura shells too. They are a little bigger than the periwinkles. This was like the beautiful Tyrian dye. It was a purple color. The kings from other countries used to get their clothes made and dyed here long ago.They made their own brushes too. They made them out of heather. The heather was attached to a stout stick. They were called besoms. In one house on the first occasion when a brush was bought in the shop, the man of the house saw it, and said, “Ah the women will be getting lazy now and will soon have nothing to do.”Long ago every farmer grew a quarter acre of flax for his own use. The women spun the flax into thread. They wove the thread into linen. When they wanted to make(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Kevin Grindlay
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Inishcrone, Co. Sligo
